Canny lass

Spot on Vic!

I personally Think the reason is much bigger than that Vic. I wonder if the same shenanagans would apply to us if the burka should become popular among White europeans? In the late fifties the 'in thing' for us Girls was to wear a head scarf 'a la Sophia Loren' and huge polo neck sweaters that covered half the face. Nobody ever complained. You are right when you say that the burka is not a religious requirement. However, there is, as in most countries, a dress code and for muslims this code is laid down in the Koran. The aurat specifies just which body parts should be seen as private and therefore covered. The rule applies not only to women but to men and children as well. For men the dress code is 'everything covered between knee and navel'. That rule applies to women as well but only in restricted and well specified company The purpose of the rules is to 'protect women from sexual harrassment' and there are even rules on how to walk so as not to 'arouse the desires of the opposite sex*. The burka does a good job there. There are, however, no rules which state just how the covering up should be done. That was also the case for English women, before the topless craze, when it was still taboo to show a bare breast. You could be arrested for daring to show that part of your body but nobody told you just how it should be covered: bra, bikini, t-shirt, blouse or dress - all were acceptable. Some covered only the breast while others covered Everything down to the knee. Some thought that a bikini was shocking and sat in their riviera deck chairs fully clothed. Everyone chose their own degree of modesty just as muslim women do - with the exception of those who are forced by men to choose a certain fashion. Those women I've talked to have no problems with removing their burka for purposes of identification providing it's done in front of another woman. That's not unreasonable. We european women are patted down by another female at airports and that's not because we have demanded it. Nor is it anyhing to do with religion. It's a matter of common courtesy and respect for our feelings about sexuality Of course facial identity is important but it's not the be all and end all of the identification process. As you quite rightly say, if it's needed then it can be done with discretion.

Not just the tartan, Maggie, but Highland dress in all it's glory!

Saw this show on Swedish TV last night (and they don't buy any old rubbish on their low budget)! Loved it!!!!

Now that's what I call a decent snaps glass Maggie!

The burka, for most of those wearers I've encountered, is a bit like Christmas - it's long since lost its religious meaning. To them it's simply a comfortable, practical garment. I can understand that they like it. I like jeans. They think my jeans are uncomfortable and far from practical. I, on the other hand, think otherwise and woe betide anyone who tries to ban a piece of clothing I've grown up with and wear on a daily basis. On the question of identification, I've already said that I have no problem with the burka. I prefer to 'see' the person rather than their clothing. We are all unik and every person will have some permanent, distinguishing features, unlike clothing which can be changed 50 times a day, if wished, and is mass produced in numerous identical examples. I can see that identification on a still photograph may be made difficult by the burka but it's also made difficult by hoodies, balaclavas, good old fashioned 'mufflers', turned up coat collars, make-up, masks and stockings over the head. Should we ban all of these as well? The kirpan is interesting. On a recent visit to India I saw thousands of sikhs but not one kirpan. Nowadays it's mostly a symbolic ornament in the form of a small brooch. However, that's not because it's been banned. The sikh population over time has simply discovered that the real thing is cumbersome and no longer serves its purpose. Give it a generation or so and I'm sure the burka will go the same way.

After careful consideration I must ask you 3g just how does the picture posted above give any reason for banning the burka? It appears to be a person, gender unidentifiable, fully clothed from top to toe with very little facial exposure. Why does this justify banning the burka and not, för example, trousers, hoodies (especially those with pockets which can hide the hands), shoes or even socks? Not to mention Halloween outfits, tights and nylon stockings. The majority of people who wear these are not up to any mischief. They are simply dressing as they wish to - just as you and I do. It's not so very difficult to identify a woman in a burka. Without it she would still wear clothes - maybe even a hoodie and trousers. I've had the pleasure of helping several burka covered women with their language problems. I still bump into some of them on the street and can identify any of them from 50 paces even from a rear view. How? Because they are all different in some ways if we only take the time to look beyond the burka. They have different heights. They have different widths. They have different bodily proportions - well visible even under a burka. A large busted woman will have a burka that appears shorter at the front. A large backside gives the opposite appearance. Some are pear-shaped giving the burka an a-line appearance. Some are downright skinny which makes the burka hang straight. They all walk differently. They all sound different, not only in tone and texture of voice but also in accent. They have different ways of carrying their burka in wet weather or when running. They hold their arms in different ways when talking to you. A burka doesn't prevent identification any more than the clothes in the Picture. Aren't we going just a bit too far when we start dictating what people should wear? Of course, if a woman is wearing a burka because a man is forcing her to wear it that's a different matter. However, I don't think banning it would be the answer to the problem. A ban would only serve to make the majority of burka wearers unhappy. Most see it as a comfortable outer garment, handy to throw over your clothes when popping to the shops, keeping them clean and covering their modesty (let's not forget that they see modesty in a different way to most europeans but even so they manage to accept semi nudity among european visitors to their countries).

No cause for worry Pilgrim. Your senility hasn't advanced too much. There was indeed a small shop just as you describe. However I can't remember newspapers being sold there - but just about Everything else! It wasn't large (I've owned bigger garden sheds since those Days).It was at the bottom of our garden and can be seen on Eggy's photo at the bend in the road between G and M. It was owned by Bob and Esther Rochester from Netherton village. Bob worked at the pit "on bank". They were a wonderful couple. They had no Children of their own and used to spoil the colliery Children something rotten. They took over the 'new' store building, opposite the institute when the coop moved to West Lea.

Good work, Eggy!

I Think Brett should change his Picture. Just joking Brett!

Having thought about it I realize that the long building at "I" can't be the new houses I mentioned earlier as they were on the same side of the road as the store. The building must be the pit baths built in the early fifties and next to it the pit canteen. I Think the baths were opened at the time of the queen's Coronation but the canteen was there long before.

Nice photo eggy. May I take a copy for personal use? A - First Street B - Second Street C - Plessey Street D - Third Street All house numbers running from 1 left to 25 right in the picture E . Netherton Institute F - The Chapel (Methodist, I think but not 100% sure). Not in use during my time. It was ownwd by Bill Mullen (Redhouse farm area) and used for his Haulage Contraction Business The area behind it is the football field. G - Netherton Infant's School H - Blue House Farm - better known as Fail's farm (owner Geordie Fail) I - Depends when the photo was taken. The long building could be a row of new houses built in the ?50s but the "store" (Cooperative Wholesale Society) was here as well. J - Netherton Pit K - Netherton Working Men's Club L - A Chapel (denomination not known), unused as such in my lifetime. Was owned by the Bell family of Third Street who used it as a pig "farm". (Discussed somewhere else on this site). M - Waste ground. There were rumours that there had been Another row of houses here and there was a lot of rubble under the grass. Strangely, it was skirted by a pavement on it's left-hand side, so possibly there had been houses. There was one more Chapel in Netherton - the Weslyan Chapel. It was still in use. It's the larger building seen to the left of A and in a direct line NW of L. Hope this helps.

If I remember correctly I stared going there a couple of years Before I left school in 1n 1962. It was quite new then.

You mean there are more than one Pete?

Thanks Maggie. I had no idea what the man was doing! It looks nothing like the flame thrower I had för the garden paths - a small hand held thing. It didn't go too well with the house being built of Wood so I had to get rid of it - Before it got rid of the house!

I'm afraid you've got me beat there, Maggie. Is there a clue in the Picture?

Who's not counting! I Think he's 21 with 47 years of experience - just like me!

There must be a couple of very proud parents in Bedlington today!

Well you certainly kept that quiet!! Happy birthday from me too.

Lovely pics! Did I see people in short sleeves and without socks! You can send some of that weather over here! We are barely hitting double figures on the thermometer.

You do the talking HPW just let it flow "like water from a tap"and let Mercury do the writing! You'll get it done in no time.

There you go HPW. That's an offer you can't refuse!

Couldn't agree more, Mercury. Can't you persuade him to write a book?

I cannot imagine it being easy to find your way around in a coal mine. Everything's more or less the same colour and there can't be too many landmarks about.

... and we've led a very sheltered life above ground HPW. That's why your stories from underground are so interesting for us. Experiences and knowledge are best when shared. You'll find Bilbao on the North coast of Spain - I Think. Yes, just checked and it's exactly where it was last time i visited.